Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Jfe Steel Corporation

Kurimoto, Ltd.

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Alps Alpineco., Ltd.

Pentel K.k.

Kazunari Takahashi

Atsushi Goto

Jun Takano

Masaki Yoshikawa

Takamasa Kawai

Takuya Nagahama

Masateru Ueta

Hiroshi Chikatsune

Asuka Koike

Ryuichiro Yasuhara

Misuzu Takahashi

Tsuyoshi Yoneyama

Tatsuhiro Tomiyama

Hideo Sato

Hiroshi Wakuda

Osamu Sonobe

Haruhiko Seki

Yoshihiro Kuge

Takeaki Maehata

Yuki Ikezoe

Takenori Takahashi

Shigeo Oka

Yukio Miura

Takeshi Shirasaka

Tomoya Endo

Taro Kanayama

Izuru Sadamatsu

Misuzu Suto

Nobuhiko Morioka

Yoshihiro Hashimoto

Takashi Nakai

Masaki Ueta

Toshihiko Tazawa

A torque generation device includes a rotor connected to a shaft and rotatable about a rotary axis of the shaft; an external member disposed outside the rotor and rotatable about the rotary axis relative to the rotor; a magnetically responsive material in a gap between the rotor and external member; a magnetic field generating unit generating a magnetic field passing the magnetically responsive material; and an adjusting unit between the shaft and external member along an outer circumference of the shaft, wherein the adjusting unit has a containing space where an adjusting sealing member is provided, the magnetically responsive material is sealed in the gap, containing space, and path connecting these and in an adjustment space from a position where the adjusting sealing member is provided to the path, and a capacity of the adjustment space is changeable according to a change in volume of the magnetically responsive material.

Torque generation device

An input device which is capable of imparting a magnetic operational reaction force, includes a stationary member, a magnetic member fixed to the stationary member, a movable member at least partially housed in the stationary member to which the magnetic member is fixed, and a driving device including a magnet fixed to the movable member and coils fixed to the stationary member, configured to move the movable member in a first direction relative to the stationary member, wherein the magnet is magnetized along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the coils have bundles of turns constituted by conductive wires, and the conductive wires in the bundles of turns extend along a third direction perpendicular to each of the first direction and the second direction, and the conducting wires are juxtaposed along the first direction.

Input device

A vibration generating device includes a coil and a magnetic flux source. The magnetic flux source includes a left-hand magnet, a first middle magnet, a second middle magnet, and a right-hand magnet. The coil includes a left-hand coil and a right-hand coil. The left-hand coil and the right-hand coil each include a left-hand wire bundle and a right-hand wire bundle. Magnetic fluxes from the middle magnet passing through, in an up-and-down direction, a space between the right-hand wire bundle of the left-hand coil and the first middle magnet are less than magnetic fluxes from the left-hand magnet that pass through, in the up-and-down direction, a space between the left-hand wire bundle of the left-hand coil and the left-hand magnet.

Vibration generating device

An input device includes an operation shaft extending in a first direction, linearly movable in the first direction, and having a tip portion; a force sensation generator configured to apply a force to the operation shaft; a sensor configured to detect an amount of movement of the operation shaft; a range-of-motion adjuster configured to change a maximum push-in position of the operation shaft; and a range-of-motion adjustment motor configured to operate the range-of-motion adjuster. The range-of-motion adjuster has a contact portion with which the tip portion of the operation shaft comes into contact. The range-of-motion adjuster changes the maximum push-in position of the operation shaft by being operated to change a contact position of the tip portion with respect to the contact portion in the first direction.

An input device includes an manipulating part, a movable member fixed to the manipulating part and having a rotating shaft, a fixing member configured to rotatably support the rotating shaft so that the movable member is rotatable, a flex sensor disposed on the manipulating part and configured to detect flexing of the manipulating part, a switch disposed on the movable member or the fixing member, pressed by a rotating operation of the movable member, and configured to switch between an on state and an off state when a flexing amount of the manipulating part reaches a predetermined amount, and a signal processor configured to output a control signal, based on a first output signal of the flex sensor, and a second output signal of the switch.

Input device employing a flex sensor and a switch outputting first and second signals

An input device includes a fixed unit, a rotary member rotatably supported by the fixed unit, a rotation-detecting unit that detects a rotation angle of the rotary member, a brake-applying unit that applies a braking force to the rotary member, a torque-applying unit that applies a driving torque to the rotary member, and a control unit that controls the brake-applying unit and the torque-applying unit. The brake-applying unit includes magnetorheological fluid, a brake-applying coil that applies a magnetic field to the magnetorheological fluid, a shaft to which braking torque that changes with viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid is applied, and a transmission gear provided on the shaft and that is in mesh with a gear provided on the rotary member. The shaft is positioned on an outer side with respect to the rotary member in a radial direction of the rotary member.

A torque generation apparatus includes a magnetic disc rotatable about a rotation axis, a first yoke, a second yoke, a magnetic viscous fluid placed between the magnetic disc and the first yoke and the second yoke, a coil, and a third yoke. The coil overlaps with the magnetic disc as viewed along the rotation axis. The third yoke constitutes a magnetic path of a magnetic field generated by the coil together with the first yoke and the second yoke. The magnetic disc includes a torque increasing portion at at least one of a surface facing the first yoke and a surface facing the second yoke. The torque increasing portion is provided in an outer circumferential area of the magnetic disc in a radial direction and causes a shearing force to a cluster of the magnetic viscous fluid to become larger than that in the inner circumferential area.

Torque generation apparatus

An input device includes a first part and a second part configured to move relative to each other according to an input operation, a magnetic viscous fluid whose viscosity changes according to a magnetic field, and a magnetic-field generator that generates the magnetic field applied to the magnetic viscous fluid. The second part includes a first surface and a second surface that are arranged in a direction orthogonal to a direction of relative movement between the first part and the second part. Gaps are formed between the first surface and the first part and between the second surface and the first part, and the magnetic viscous fluid is present in at least a part of the gaps.

Input device and method for controlling input device

A torque generating device includes a magnetic disk configured to rotate around a rotation axis, first and second yokes located on opposite sides across the magnetic disk, a coil disposed to overlap the magnetic disk along a direction of the rotation axis, a third yoke of which at least a region proximity to the magnetic disk is located outside the magnetic disk and the coil and that makes up a magnetic path of a magnetic field generated by the coil with the first and second yokes, and a magnetic viscous fluid filled between the magnetic disk and the first and second yokes. The third yoke has a magnetic gap between the third and first yokes. The magnetic gap is formed at a position outside an outer peripheral edge of the magnetic disk or overlapping the outer peripheral edge of the magnetic disk along the direction of the rotation axis.

Torque generating device

An operating device according to the present invention includes magnetic field generation means. The magnetic field generation means includes a coil generating a magnetic field when energized, and a yoke forming a magnetic path for the magnetic field passing through a rotor. A control unit includes magnetization means and rotational torque control means. The magnetization means supplies a current to energize the coil such that a residual magnetic field in the yoke is held at a predetermined magnitude. The rotational torque control means adjusts a current value applied to the coil in accordance with the magnitude of the residual magnetic field in the yoke. An absolute value of a maximum value of the current value applied to the coil by the rotational torque control means is smaller than an absolute value of a current value applied by the magnetization means.

Operating device and control method for operating device

An operating device includes a magnetic disk capable of rotational motion around a rotation axis, a first yoke located on one side and a second yoke located on an other side across the magnetic disk, a coil disposed to overlap the magnetic disk when viewed in a direction along a direction in which the rotation axis extends, a magnetic viscous fluid filled between the magnetic disk and each of the first yoke and the second yoke, a magnetic measurement portion for measuring magnetism caused by a magnetic field using the magnetic viscous fluid, the magnetic disk, the first yoke, and the second yoke as a magnetic path, and a control unit configured to acquire a measured value from the magnetic measurement portion and control a magnetic field that is generated by the coil based on the measured value to change a viscosity of the magnetic viscous fluid.

Operating device

A manipulation device has a manipulation body rotationally operated by the manipulator, a support body rotatably supporting the manipulation body, and a rotational load imparting mechanism. The rotational load imparting mechanism has a movable member engaged with the rotational axis of the manipulation body, a magnetism generating mechanism facing the movable member with a gap intervening, and a magnetic viscous fluid, its viscosity changing according to the strength of a magnetic field. The magnetism generating mechanism has a coil generating a magnetic field and a first yoke provided so as to enclose the coil. The first yoke has a first opposing part and second opposing part, which are separated by slits, on a side facing the movable member. The magnetic viscous fluid is filled in the gap, which is between the first opposing part and the movable member and between the second opposing part and the movable member.

Manipulation device

Input device with tactile function

An operation feel imparting type input device includes a fixed part, a rotating body rotatably supported by the fixed part, a rotatable operation knob fixed to the rotating body, a rotation angle detection unit configured to detect a rotation angle of the rotating body, a brake application unit configured to apply a braking force to the rotating body, a torque application unit configured to apply a torque to the rotating body, a control unit configured to control the brake application unit and the torque application unit, and an operation torque detection unit configured to detect the magnitude of an operation torque applied to the rotating body. When the rotating body is rotated from an endstop, brake release is performed according to the magnitude of the operation torque.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi-ken, Japan

Kazunari Takahashi